I still remember when this one came out. I discovered this game - a birthday gift o' mine - without expecting much nor much interested beforehand. It was one of those games that completely fell off my radar. Didn't follow much of it on the news, nothing. Then after a couple minutes, I was hooked.

The spiritual successor to the classic System Shock series!

What's Good about it: A stunning game even to this day! A lot of work was specially put on the creation of Rapture, BioShock's world.A great simple enough FPS, nothing as huge or giving the sensation of a FREE gameplay exploration (as in, say, Half-Life 2). Yet, it all somehow works and gives you the impression to be the one exploring this submarine utopian city.An oppressive sensation despite being "out in the open" in the Ocean... below sea level.Actual alternate endings (2!) depending if you harvest or save the Little Sisters. Meaning getting a different ending depending how you relate to the protagonist and his "choice". Now that's an actual proper dilemma, Mass Effect could learn something from such a simple "choice". Big Daddies are awesome!A story full of twists, very engaging. And finally, would you believe it, BioShock's got one of my most memorable hacking sequences - something lots of modern games try to force on us usually via QTEs. In the form of a port of the arcade game Pipe Mania!! I love Pipe Mania!

What's Bad about it:Well, I guess some people don't like Pipe Mania.And to create the mood and a playable narrative, the game's very linear and scripted. But considering the general tone and atmosphere of Rapture, that worked out for the best instead of getting a generic open world sandbox, don't you think?And... that's about it. Really.

Overall: I can say this enough: The original BioShock was a perfect example how to create a fantastic immersive original and unique experience via a traditional first person shooter. I held it as big and influential as the originals Doom and Half-Life. The world of Rapture was expanding as you progressed through bigger and bigger areas. New "maps" often resulted in a whole new area to explore, with its own rooms, halls and corridors. Yet, most games continue offering us straightforward linear corridors after fight areas after corridors, etc, rinse and repeat. Didn't they get they could also try making levels that look realistic enough to change from eternal corridors?

BioShock is already about 6 years old yet it holds pretty well to this day. Thanks to its art direction and underwater environment, it looks as epic and creepy today as it did originally. A must play!